eNews
Winter 2019 | Vol 12 | No 1
Longleaf Learning Landscape
In January, Tall Timbers completed the planting of a new longleaf and fire education plot with Thomas County Central High students. The project, dubbed the Longleaf Learning Landscape, has been a year in the making with funding by the Georgia Forestry Foundation and donated longleaf and wiregrass plugs from International Forest Company.
The 1/3-acre restoration site is prominently located on campus, built to burn, and includes a wide variety of native groundcover species. Thomas County Central forestry teacher Glen Gosier is lead coordinator for the school and has many ideas for continuing to engage students with this new outdoor classroom, including the use of prescribed fire.
The Thomas County project is Tall Timbers second schoolyard habitat project. A similar longleaf and groundcover education site was planted in December 2017, at the Maclay School in Tallahassee. Tall Timbers is now working with teachers on planning the first prescribed fire event at the site in April 2019.
These Longleaf Learning Landscape projects are part of Tall Timbers expanded work with teachers identified in our strategic planning for long-term land conservation and prescribed fire use in the Red Hills region.
Brian Wiebler, Red Hills Outreach & Education Coordinator, demonstrates proper planting techniques to students.
Students express their satisfaction after the hard work of planting a few of the larger longleaf pines included for instant structure.
Students work in teams to plant wiregrass plugs throughout the site.
Students worked hard for several days to get the site planted, but enjoyed the time connecting outside.
Native grasses are an important part of the site and will provide a fuel source for teaching with prescribed fire.
A wide variety of native flowering plants were included in the site design.
